The Lasting Affect Social Class Has On Our Education System The socioeconomic classes have entirely taken control of our education system at all levels. It starts at the young age of students who have trouble learning as every student is different and it takes a vast amount of strategies to help each student learn, but our schools are failing to do so. Our social classes determine the type of education we will receive before we are even grown to realize it. Students of different classes are not given equal opportunities toward their education. Therefore, how do we expect them to reach their full potential and become successful if they are not given the essentials to get there.
We as humans are fundamentally conditioned to believe that you can either be street smart or you can be school smart, but you cannot be both. As a young adult I find this to be completely narrow-minded and inaccurate. Anyone can be both, street and school smart if they are taught the proper way that suits them. Every student is different with diverse interests, with that being said, why are schools still stuck in the mind-set that the only way for a child to learn how to critically think is when reading about ancient philosophers or other intellectual studies. From a personal standpoint, there is nothing that helps me learn more than when I am learning about things that I am passionate for. All students have their own personal strength in learning and some take longer to find theirs, for Gerald Graff
Social class refers to the system of stratification of the different groups of people in a society. Social class makes everyone’s lives extremely different. So does education. Not surprisingly, affluent students in well-off school districts have higher rates of high school graduation, college attendance and entry to the more selective colleges. This has little to do with intelligence or ability. Statistics provided by the College Board for 2013, suggest that having more money is the key to getting
According to Jean Anyon, schools in different social classes get different educations and get treated differently at school. How the children are taught will affect how they do in the future. The children who are in school now will be our leaders in the future, so we need to invest in our students. The Working Class students are taught that the process and following the rules is most important, not the answer. If we have government representatives, military leaders, and possibly presidents focusing on following the rules we will not be able to better our country. Children should be taught that they are valued and that their opinions matter, so that later in life they can continue to have confidence in their own ideas. Gaining this confidence starts in school. Anyon studied how the students are treated and taught at schools who are teaching to only one kind of social class. I believe that, most schools are a mix of at least two different social classes. In general, Affluent Professional and Executive Elite schools have students learn from thinking for themselves. On the other hand, Working Class and Middle Class students learn by the teacher thinking for the them. Most schools are a mix of these different teaching styles.
Social class is a large faction of people who have similar positions in an economic system. In an exemplary world, all students would have an equal shot at success, excellent schools, and educators that dedicate themselves and their time to achieving this goal. However, social class can significantly affect a student's success, highlighting the correlation between low socioeconomic statuses and academic problems. In all social groups, class plays a significant role in the attainment of children in education. Unfortunately, this has always been the case and the effects are just more evident today. Families from high social classes are more likely to obtain a greater level of education than those in low social classes. Members of upper social classes tend to be better educated and have higher incomes; therefore, they are better able to supply educational advantages to their children as well. Being in a financially disadvantaged can also affect a child’s performance during school. It is important, therefore, to examine the way in which education is distributed through social class. Between societal pressures, expectations and parental negligence, children can be negatively impacted in their pursuit for future success through their education as exemplified through “College Pressures” and “The Sanctuary of School”.
the student is not learning. Individuals want to learn and can learn; social class should not be the
I think Montsios’ point that, “Class standing has a significant impact on the chance for educational achievement” (Monsios 193). I think this statement is very true, because it is very apparent that there is a huge education gap in the United States due to income. People of higher incomes can have the luxury of sending their kids to better schools, private or public, and have the ability to give them a college education without having to worry about the financial costs, while people of lower classes cannot have this luxury. This is absolutely ridiculous, because this country was founded on the idea of equality, and having an equal and free country to pursue opportunity. Just like the educational side of this, people also struggle with in the sense of survival and
Throughout time one of the most obvious class markers has been education and it still remains so. People who belong to the higher classes view education as a higher priority and have more access to the best school in the country. When stuck in lower classes people must attend schools where books, computers, and education are not found at the same level. An article in the Atantic Times mentions that “ Kids who belong to lower social classes fell behind children in the upper classes by about a year or so.” Today, that gap is close to four years.” For those in the upper class their kids are placed in an abundance of classes from an early age such as foreign language, art, and many sports. Children who are in lower classes have no way of getting a head start when compared to children in higher classes Sarah Garland also mentions how “ When children have plenty of time to build social skills and bigger vocabularies in short term reduce their chances of
In this country, a college education is still vital. For many first generation students it makes the difference between continued poverty or the means of a much improved life. Yet once these students reach the campus of the typical Historically Black Colleges and Universities they are likely to be faced with what might seem like an impenetrable wall of resistance in the form of classist practices commonly found at must universities. As Fulwood (2012) suggests that in order to counteract classism, changes must be made in the systems which perpetuate it. Some of these systems mentioned earlier are the media, “White Privilege”, the economic system, government, and education institutions themselves. We must look at those policies,
In this essay I will be analyzing “Class in America--2012” by Gregory Mantsios from Rereading America.The author is getting opinions and using his knowledge to figure out if social or economic classes that people are in mean that they have a disadvantage or an advantage to becoming successful. Do you think that social classes impact the road to success or not?
Social Class is a position held by an individual composed of combinations of parental education, parental occupation status, family income and wealth. Students whose parents have higher levels of any of these traits of class, more often than not, have better opportunities. Essentially, education and opportunities stem from money. If a parent has a higher income, they’ll be able to provide more help to their children if they’re falling behind in school. Also, they have the ability to assist in paying for college and those with higher education feel the need to help their children with paying for college. The more money parents have, the better the schools, and the better the education. Another factor that plays in the role of education inequality
Social class refers to the system of stratification of the different groups of people in a society. These different forms of classification are, in most instances, based on gender ethnicity and age. Social class makes everyone’s lives extremely different. For example: How long one can expect to live. In a wide range of ways, from success, to one’s health class, social class influences people’s lives (Grusky,2003).
One of the concerns regarding social justice in education is that there are marginalised groups within society do not having equal access to the learning and life opportunities that they deserve. The concept of social justice stresses that every individual within society is entitled to have equal rights and opportunities. This means that an individual from a lower class background deserves the same opportunities as a person from a wealthier background. It is about becoming aware and recognising that there are certain situations where the application of the same rules to unequal groups can sometimes lead to imbalanced results. It is therefore crucial that the government create a curriculum that can empower every student regardless of their
The idea of social inequality dates back since the time of our founding fathers. The mistreatment and unlawful equality and opportunity that these foreigners received became embedded into our history—this endless list includes, just to name a few, the Irish, Chinese, Jews, and most notably the African Americans (Blacks), who became slaves to the American people. Here in the United States, the current social class system is known as the class system, where families are distributed and placed into three different existing class—the upper class (wealthy), middle class (working), and lower class (poor). Since then, improvisations have been worked on into the class system, establishing now roughly six social classes: upper class, new money, middle class, working class, working poor, and poverty level. Social stratification is a widely common topic of debate because there have since been many arguments and debates on this controversial situation of social inequality and how it relates to social class and social mobility. According to Economist Robert Reich, he states that "The probability that a poor child in America will become a poor adult is higher now than it was 30 years ago..." (Reich, par. 5), meaning the given amount of equality, opportunity, and support that these struggle families obtain have gone mainly unnoticed by the government that it has gotten worst. The constant uproar of social inequality and injustice that these middle and lower working class families stem
1. How may a student's social class origin and related factors impact on her/his learning outcomes and how can teachers intervene to effectively address any resulting disadvantages and injustices for students?
Social class has been always being in our society since its establishment. Back then, white, landowning men had the highest status amongst society with women and other races being lower in the societal ladder Times have changed since then, but social class is still a major factor to people’s success. Social class is defined as a label that categorizes individuals based on their economic status, wealth, and power. Social class does not matter, but should not be ignored It’s prominent in our society so I think as young adults we need to be aware of it. If we “teach them how to deal with it in a positive manner and how to prevent it, then little by little we can see less of the discrimination. Our differences shouldn’t create conflict between people and cause problems” (Google Doc). Our differences should come together and be celebrated. It should be brought to our attention that they may be more disadvantaged than other people and that all their home lives are unique and different from each other. While keeping this concept in mind, teachers and faculty members should not let social class control their action towards the students and be prejudiced. Teachers should not see social class as a problem or an excuse as to why the student is not learning. Individuals want to learn and can learn; social class should not be the explanation as to why the teacher will not help the student reach their goals. When students grow intellectually and become educated, they will acquire more
In the United states, social classes is a controversial issue in terms of defining the actual nature of the classes themselves. Many individuals have categorized the society into three elementary groups that is the “poor”, “middle class” and the “rich”. Additionally, a more complex system of social classes is derived from the three elementary classes. In this regard, a four-class system includes “the capitalist/upper class”, “the middle class”, “the working class” and “the lower class” (Thompson, 2005). Moreover, sociologists have expanded the for-class system into a six class system includes “the capitalist or upper class”, “the upper-middle class”, “the middle class”, “the working class”, “the lower-working class” and “the lower class”.